In honor of our 20th Anniversary, we present two different concerts in repertory for the first time in 2019. Note the world premieres for the date of this concert and make plans to see both shows! This page is for our October 26 Benefit Performance. See full concert schedule below.
#CRDT20th Benefit Performance
7:30 pm performance & 9:00 pm reception with the company
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre enthusiastically invites you to our 20th Birthday Party!
Join us October 26 at the beautiful Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts in Hyde Park for a concert and post-show celebration.
This special concert will feature two world premieres PLUS selections from the repertoire we’ve built over two decades. Experience the unique art that is Cerqua Rivera’s signature – captivating, moving, athletic, sexy, timely – and celebrate our first 20 years.
World Premieres
- ROOT: mwanzo wa mwili ni roho by 3Arts Award Winner Monique Haley and CRDT Cofounder Joe Cerqua - This athletic, soulful piece explores a modern identity rooted in African tradition.
plus
- Place Between Earth & Sky by internationally renowned dancer Shannon Alvis and Grammy nominee Clarice Assad - A lyrical, sensual new work contemplating our role in the world around us.
Tickets $100 / person - includes concert admission and post-show wine, hors d’oeuvres and dessert reception with the company.
America / Americans - the CRDT20th Concert Series
ALL DATES & LOCATIONS (description of the pieces below)
American Catracho - World Premiere of Cerqua Rivera's First-Ever Evening-Length Suite
- September 27 @ Studio5 (at Dance Center Evanston) – 8 pm
- October 4 @ Auditorium Theatre – 7:30 pm
- October 18 @ Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center – 7:30 pm
- September 28 @ Studio5 (at Dance Center Evanston) – 8 pm
- Benefit Performance - October 26 @ Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts – 7:30 pm
WHAT TO EXPECT
Don't miss the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre. This diverse collective of artists will debut world premieres of 2019 new work in full production alongside selections from its unique repertoire. The power and energy of the company's 10-member dance ensemble and 10-piece jazz band are not to be missed.
Cerqua Rivera’s mission is to fuse dance, music and visual art to explore and celebrate contemporary society. For its 20th Anniversary, the company explores issues at the center of the national dialogue – what is America and who are Americans?
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY
"Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre’s special blend of incisive concert dance, original, live music, and visual art makes you sit up and pay attention" - See Chicago Dance
"Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre has been growing like a wildflower in the past few years. They have established a unique and resonant identity that has captivated Chicago dance audiences." - Dancer Music
2019 NEW WORK
· American Catracho by company Cofounders Wilfredo Rivera and Joe Cerqua – This suite exploring immigration debuted in sections as it was developed over the past three years. In 2019 the company will knit the work together and perform it in full. An emotional, lyrical, engrossing piece, it has been called “a tour de force” (Chicago Magazine) and “easily [Wilfredo’s] most promising work” (Chicago Tribune).
· ROOT: mwanzo wa mwili ni roho by Monique Haley and Joe Cerqua– 3Arts award winning choreographer Monique Haley began this work with Company cofounder and composer Joe Cerqua in 2018. Inspired by Monique’s own life and heritage, it explores a modern African American experience through traditional African modes. In its early debut at the 2018 fall concert series, audiences were entranced by the athletic movement and the soulful soundtrack. In 2019, Monique and Joe will take it to the next level.
· Place Between Earth and Sky by Shannon Alvis and Clarice Assad – Internationally renowned dancer Shannon Alvis joins with Grammy nominated composer Clarice Assad this year. Together they will make a piece contemplating Shannon’s long-hidden Native American (Blackfoot) heritage. Clarice first worked with Cerqua Rivera in 2017 through a commission by Chicago Sinfonietta. In 2019 she returns to create with choreographer Shannon, who’s joining the company for the first time.
